Published: Saturday, December 29, 2012 at 12:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, December 28, 2012 at 6:47 p.m.

The Wilmington Police Department acquired a robot in 2010 armed with a mechanical claw so strong it could drag a wounded officer out of harm's way during a firefight.

The robot, nicknamed "Sheila," has investigated suspicious objects and helped end stand-off situations involving armed assailants. The same machine was featured in the "The Hurt Locker," a movie about an Army bomb squad dismantling improvised explosives in Iraq.

Sheila, purchased with a $177,110 federal grant, is emblematic of the kind of high-tech equipment that locals around the nation have bought thanks to lavishly funded homeland security programs launched in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks.

Since its inception in 2002, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has poured billions of dollars into local governments to finance a national bulwark against disaster. But now critics question the logic behind buying local law enforcement equipment like robots, armored vehicles, unmanned aerial drones and night-vision goggles.

The push for curtailing such spending is based on the perception that these devices sit unused awaiting far-fetched scenarios.

"A lot of state and local governments are getting things that are really unnecessary for the realistic security threat that they face," said Daniel Masters, an assistant professor at the University of North Carolina Wilmington whose teaching areas include global terrorism and international security.

Earlier this month, Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn released a scathing report about what he called "wasteful and misguided spending" by one of the country's largest security programs, which has doled out $7 billion ostensibly to protect vulnerable cities against terrorism.

The report questions whether the program, the Urban Area Security Initiative, has made the country safer, and documents show some jurisdictions conjured up outlandish scenarios to justify needing the money. For example, the program paid attendance to a summit held at a resort and spa outside San Diego, where the marquee event showed first responders how to beat back a zombie apocalypse.

"We must be honest with the American people that we cannot make every community around the country invulnerable to terrorist attacks by writing large checks from Washington, D.C.," Coburn wrote in the report. "Not only is this an unrealistic goal, but is also undermines the very purpose of our efforts."

Southeastern North Carolina has benefited from the federal Port Security Grant Program, a sister program to the Urban Area Security Initiative, because of its proximity to the Port of Wilmington. Under the program, money flowed to cities and counties even if the projects were not directly tied to securing the port.

Some purchases cited as abuses by Coburn mirror ones made in Southeastern North Carolina. For example, his report criticized how a number of jurisdictions bought BearCat armored vehicles, including a town in rural New Hampshire that cited a need to protect its annual pumpkin festival.

Last year, Wilmington used a $190,670 grant to buy a BearCat armored personnel carrier equipped with nightvision and radiation detection abilities for the SWAT Team.

Coburn's report took issue with how Columbus, Ohio, won funding for an underwater robot. Last year, the New Hanover County Sheriff's Office got a $109,770 remote controlled submersible robot equipped with a video camera, sonar GPS and mechanical claw.

Local law enforcement officials contend these pieces of equipment increase the safety of officers.

"We can put this robot in the water means we don't have to put a human in the water," Sgt. Jerry Brewer, a spokesman for the sheriff's office, said about the submersible. "That in itself is huge."

Police Chief Ralph Evangelous said the Wilmington Police Department is the primary response agency for multiple jurisdictions for bomb instances and the robot has been deployed several times. He added that the armored vehicle has been used to protect officers while responding to shootings.

"There is rhyme and reason to why we've done these things," he said. "We live in a city with urban crime and urban issues and we have to have the ability to respond."

Local agencies have used homeland security money to buy a variety of equipment. A few examples are:

> Wilmington spent $22,948 on a bomb suit to protect a bomb technician against a blast. It also spent $214,316 for a "Bomb Robot Support Truck" and $273,750 for a "Police Boat."

> The New Hanover County Sheriff's Office got $70,000 to buy fiber optic cameras, high power surveillance scopes, nightvision binoculars, first-aid trauma kits and various other pieces of equipment "designed to meet the needs of a large modern port environment," according to the project description.

The office also won $270,000 to outfit its helicopter with night vision and a digital downlink system, the latter to provide "an immediate video feed to personnel on the ground as well as to a centralized command center." That money was later transferred to the Wilmington Police Department, which used it to upgrade the city's helicopter after the sheriff's office dissolved its helicopter program.

> A marine-related grant project launched jointly by the New Hanover and Brunswick County sheriff's offices and the Wilmington Police Department spent $585,351 for two 25-foot SeaArk Commander Ram boats, a trailer, life jackets, and other various equipment to provide a "full-time patrol presence along the waterways."

> The Wilmington Fire Department got $401,300 under the port security program to buy a 6,000 gallon-per-minute pump, foam application nozzles and other related equipment to help extinguish a fire should one break out on an above-ground fuel tank.

> Wrightsville Beach, also under the port security program, spent $73,831 of federal money to subsidize the purchase of two high-speed camera systems known as automatic license plate readers, which snap photographs of tags when cars pass by and alerts officers when one belongs to a wanted criminal or someone on the terrorism watch list.

> Brunswick County spent $324,162 on a "Mass Evacuation – Mass Casualty Bus,', $27,756 retrofitting the Emergency Operations Center with hurricane storm shutters, and $233,250 to equip the Brunswick County Sheriff's Office's helicopter with an infrared camera system. The latter was funded by the port security program.

Matthew Chandler, a spokesman for the homeland security department, called the spending "investments in our first responders on the frontline," and said the department sees "the value of these grants time and again."

After President George W. Bush created the homeland security department in 2002, state and local governments realized the potential windfall and more started hiring trained grant writers to improve their odds. Masters said Some locals incentivized their writers by tying their salary to grants. And the homeland security department was so flush with cash, critics say, that the criteria for evaluating grant requests dropped markedly.

Now, states and localities use grants as a way to fill widening gaps in their budgets and expand their capabilities.

"Before the recession hit, this was all add-on money," Masters said. "Now this becomes like plugging holes in the dam."

Policymakers believe a retrenchment is inevitable given the nation's fiscal realities. The port security program already shrank, with available funding plunging from $235 million in 2011 to $97.5 million this year. That outlook raises considerable concern among emergency responders, many of whom came to rely on the federal government for what they say is much-needed support.

"Grants have just been immense tools for us to get what we need," said Oak Island Fire Chief Christopher Anselmo. "Extremely crucial."

Defenders of the grant programs say they strengthen public safety and disaster preparedness. And many purchases involve training and include smaller, more practical items, such as axes for firefighters.

"It's really, really critical to help us be as efficient as possible," said New Hanover County Fire Chief Donnie Hall, whose department updated equipment, launched health and wellness initiatives, replaced air packs and bought better training technology with the help of federal money.

State Rep. Ric Killian, a Republican from Mecklenburg County who co-chairs the N.C. General Assembly's committee on Homeland Security, Military and Veterans Affairs, said Coburn's report made valid points. He cited the hobbled federal response to Hurricane Katrina to argue that homeland security can be better addressed at the state level, but said the federal government's long-running lead in that area has caused many states to focus resources elsewhere.

"Our homeland security efforts are simply a reflection of the federal money we receive," he said. "We need to establish where the threat is and specific plans to meet that threat, be it a nuclear disaster, water contamination disaster, earthquake or flood."

Despite deficit reduction fights between Congress and President Obama, some foresee homeland security absorbing a softer hit than other domestic programs.

Masters said lawmakers face political risks when broaching the issue.

"You don't want to the be the person responsible for having negotiated a reduction in that and then a terrorist attack take place," he said. "You don't want to appear soft on terrorism."

<p>The Wilmington Police Department acquired a robot in 2010 armed with a mechanical claw so strong it could drag a wounded officer out of harm's way during a firefight. </p><p>The robot, nicknamed "Sheila," has investigated suspicious objects and helped end stand-off situations involving armed assailants. The same machine was featured in the "The Hurt Locker," a movie about an Army bomb squad dismantling improvised explosives in Iraq.</p><p>Sheila, purchased with a $177,110 federal grant, is emblematic of the kind of high-tech equipment that locals around the nation have bought thanks to lavishly funded homeland security programs launched in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks. </p><p>Since its inception in 2002, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has poured billions of dollars into local governments to finance a national bulwark against disaster. But now critics question the logic behind buying local law enforcement equipment like robots, armored vehicles, unmanned aerial drones and night-vision goggles.</p><p>The push for curtailing such spending is based on the perception that these devices sit unused awaiting far-fetched scenarios. </p><p>"A lot of state and local governments are getting things that are really unnecessary for the realistic security threat that they face," said Daniel Masters, an assistant professor at the University of North Carolina Wilmington whose teaching areas include global terrorism and international security.</p><p>Earlier this month, Oklahoma Sen. Tom Coburn released a scathing report about what he called "wasteful and misguided spending" by one of the country's largest security programs, which has doled out $7 billion ostensibly to protect vulnerable cities against terrorism. </p><p>The report questions whether the program, the Urban Area Security Initiative, has made the country safer, and documents show some jurisdictions conjured up outlandish scenarios to justify needing the money. For example, the program paid attendance to a summit held at a resort and spa outside San Diego, where the marquee event showed first responders how to beat back a zombie apocalypse.</p><p>"We must be honest with the American people that we cannot make every community around the country invulnerable to terrorist attacks by writing large checks from Washington, D.C.," Coburn wrote in the report. "Not only is this an unrealistic goal, but is also undermines the very purpose of our efforts." </p><p>Southeastern North Carolina has benefited from the federal Port Security Grant Program, a sister program to the Urban Area Security Initiative, because of its proximity to the Port of Wilmington. Under the program, money flowed to cities and counties even if the projects were not directly tied to securing the port. </p><p>Some purchases cited as abuses by Coburn mirror ones made in Southeastern North Carolina. For example, his report criticized how a number of jurisdictions bought BearCat armored vehicles, including a town in rural New Hampshire that cited a need to protect its annual pumpkin festival. </p><p>Last year, Wilmington used a $190,670 grant to buy a BearCat armored personnel carrier equipped with nightvision and radiation detection abilities for the SWAT Team. </p><p>Coburn's report took issue with how Columbus, Ohio, won funding for an underwater robot. Last year, the <a href="http://www.starnewsonline.com/section/topic9932"><b>New Hanover County Sheriff</b></a>'s Office got a $109,770 remote controlled submersible robot equipped with a video camera, sonar GPS and mechanical claw. </p><p>Local law enforcement officials contend these pieces of equipment increase the safety of officers. </p><p>"We can put this robot in the water means we don't have to put a human in the water," Sgt. Jerry Brewer, a spokesman for the sheriff's office, said about the submersible. "That in itself is huge." </p><p>Police Chief <a href="http://www.starnewsonline.com/section/topic9935"><b>Ralph Evangelous</b></a> said the Wilmington Police Department is the primary response agency for multiple jurisdictions for bomb instances and the robot has been deployed several times. He added that the armored vehicle has been used to protect officers while responding to shootings. </p><p>"There is rhyme and reason to why we've done these things," he said. "We live in a city with urban crime and urban issues and we have to have the ability to respond." </p><p>Local agencies have used homeland security money to buy a variety of equipment. A few examples are: </p><p><b>></b> Wilmington spent $22,948 on a bomb suit to protect a bomb technician against a blast. It also spent $214,316 for a "Bomb Robot Support Truck" and $273,750 for a "Police Boat." </p><p><b>></b> The New Hanover County Sheriff's Office got $70,000 to buy fiber optic cameras, high power surveillance scopes, nightvision binoculars, first-aid trauma kits and various other pieces of equipment "designed to meet the needs of a large modern port environment," according to the project description. </p><p>The office also won $270,000 to outfit its helicopter with night vision and a digital downlink system, the latter to provide "an immediate video feed to personnel on the ground as well as to a centralized command center." That money was later transferred to the Wilmington Police Department, which used it to upgrade the city's helicopter after the sheriff's office dissolved its helicopter program. </p><p><b>></b> A marine-related grant project launched jointly by the New Hanover and Brunswick County sheriff's offices and the Wilmington Police Department spent $585,351 for two 25-foot SeaArk Commander Ram boats, a trailer, life jackets, and other various equipment to provide a "full-time patrol presence along the waterways." </p><p><b>></b> The Wilmington Fire Department got $401,300 under the port security program to buy a 6,000 gallon-per-minute pump, foam application nozzles and other related equipment to help extinguish a fire should one break out on an above-ground fuel tank. </p><p><b>></b> Wrightsville Beach, also under the port security program, spent $73,831 of federal money to subsidize the purchase of two high-speed camera systems known as automatic license plate readers, which snap photographs of tags when cars pass by and alerts officers when one belongs to a wanted criminal or someone on the terrorism watch list. </p><p><b>></b> Brunswick County spent $324,162 on a "Mass Evacuation – Mass Casualty Bus,', $27,756 retrofitting the Emergency Operations Center with hurricane storm shutters, and $233,250 to equip the Brunswick County Sheriff's Office's helicopter with an infrared camera system. The latter was funded by the port security program.</p><p>Matthew Chandler, a spokesman for the homeland security department, called the spending "investments in our first responders on the frontline," and said the department sees "the value of these grants time and again."</p><p>After President George W. Bush created the homeland security department in 2002, state and local governments realized the potential windfall and more started hiring trained grant writers to improve their odds. Masters said Some locals incentivized their writers by tying their salary to grants. And the homeland security department was so flush with cash, critics say, that the criteria for evaluating grant requests dropped markedly. </p><p>Now, states and localities use grants as a way to fill widening gaps in their budgets and expand their capabilities. </p><p>"Before the recession hit, this was all add-on money," Masters said. "Now this becomes like plugging holes in the dam." </p><p>Policymakers believe a retrenchment is inevitable given the nation's fiscal realities. The port security program already shrank, with available funding plunging from $235 million in 2011 to $97.5 million this year. That outlook raises considerable concern among emergency responders, many of whom came to rely on the federal government for what they say is much-needed support. </p><p>"Grants have just been immense tools for us to get what we need," said Oak Island Fire Chief Christopher Anselmo. "Extremely crucial."</p><p>Defenders of the grant programs say they strengthen public safety and disaster preparedness. And many purchases involve training and include smaller, more practical items, such as axes for firefighters. </p><p>"It's really, really critical to help us be as efficient as possible," said New Hanover County Fire Chief Donnie Hall, whose department updated equipment, launched health and wellness initiatives, replaced air packs and bought better training technology with the help of federal money.</p><p>State Rep. Ric Killian, a Republican from Mecklenburg County who co-chairs the N.C. General Assembly's committee on Homeland Security, Military and Veterans Affairs, said Coburn's report made valid points. He cited the hobbled federal response to <a href="http://www.starnewsonline.com/section/hurricane"><b>Hurricane</b></a> Katrina to argue that homeland security can be better addressed at the state level, but said the federal government's long-running lead in that area has caused many states to focus resources elsewhere. </p><p>"Our homeland security efforts are simply a reflection of the federal money we receive," he said. "We need to establish where the threat is and specific plans to meet that threat, be it a nuclear disaster, water contamination disaster, earthquake or flood." </p><p>Despite deficit reduction fights between Congress and President Obama, some foresee homeland security absorbing a softer hit than other domestic programs. </p><p>Masters said lawmakers face political risks when broaching the issue. </p><p>"You don't want to the be the person responsible for having negotiated a reduction in that and then a terrorist attack take place," he said. "You don't want to appear soft on terrorism."</p><p><a href="http://www.starnewsonline.com/section/topic9904"><b>Brian Freskos</b></a>: 343-2327</p><p>On <a href="http://www.starnewsonline.com/section/news41"><b>Twitter</b></a>: @ BrianFreskos</p>